KC Chiefs: Omari Cobb release raises questions about what’s next

Earlier this summer, Omari Cobb was battling it out during the K.C. Chiefs preseason with other roster hopefuls trying to land a spot at linebacker on the final active roster.

While Cobb didn’t make it, he was able to stick around on the team’s 16-man practice squad after the regular season got underway. That didn’t last long, however, as Cobb was waived on Monday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

What’s interesting here is that the Chiefs failed to make a corresponding move.

Moves at this depth aren’t intended to make great waves. Throughout the season, general managers will tinker quite a bit with the practice squad as the team takes up-close looks at developmental players who will come and go from the 16-man squad once the team decides to move on from them. For the lucky few who remain all season, it’s a good bet the team likes the long-term developmental talent in place (e.g. Jody Fortson)

The Chiefs released Omari Cobb without any corresponding moves.

Back to Cobb. He flashed obvious potential at times in the preseason, but the Chiefs have made heavy investments there in recent drafts with both Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr. Anthony Hitchens is also in place as the team’s leader in the second level, and Ben Niemann is a proven role player who can step up for more reps when tasked with the assignment. That left special teams core player Dorian O’Daniel and Darius Harris as competition for Cobb and the Chiefs made their choice(s).

The surprise here isn’t so much that Cobb was released. Rather, it left the Chiefs with only 15 players on the practice squad. Tight end Mark Vital was just signed, but he’s included in this mix already. This signals another move is forthcoming, yet there’s no visit on the books that we can find.

We’ll avoid any conjecture here. The Chiefs will eventually make their moves and fill the roster holes and we can discuss then. But for now, there’s definitely a sign pointing to a future signing of some kind.